Con & George Moulson – Gathering Celebration – Aug 23rd to 26th

* Fri Aug. 23rd at 7pm – Wreath laying ceremony for Charles Moulson at Cahir War Memorial.

* Sun. Aug. 25th – 12.30pm – Scart Park – 1939 FA Cup Semi-Final re-enactment.

* Sun Aug. 25th – 4pm – John Delaney, CEO of the FAI will unveil a plaque at Barrack Hill.

See poster at bottom of post for full festival lineup.

Avid Irish soccer fans may well recognise the Moulson name, George and Con both represented their country. It is not widely known, however, that George and Con Moulson grew up in Clogheen and this year of the Gathering the town will be celebrating that connection with a Gathering event from August 24th to 26th.

Con and George’s father, Charles served in the British Army in Kildare before a job as postman took him to Clogheen, where the family lived in a house near the current pedestrian crossing just above the Post Office. During the village’s Gathering event, to be held from August 24th to 26th, FAI chief executive John Delaney will unveil a plaque at the house in the Moulson’s memory, with members of the Moulson family set to travel from England for the event.

Councillor Marie Murphy says that the connection was only discovered in recent years and that the Community felt the year of The Gathering was the ideal opportunity to recognise the Moulson connection with Clogheen. The 1911 Census shows that Con (Cornelius) went to school in Clogheen. George Moulson was born in Clogheen  after this census in August 1914. Clicking on the graphic below will take you to the 1911 Census record.

1939 English FA Cup Final Recreation

Con Moulson was captain of the Republic of Ireland team in 1936 and 1937, while George was a goalkeeper and had three caps in 1948. George also played in the cup final in 1939 in Old Trafford and for The Gathering, a team from Grimsby in Northern England will play against the local Vee Rovers team in a recreation of that cup final game. Many of Con and George’s relatives still reside in Grimsby. There is a report on the event in the Grimsby Telegraph.

Both Con and George Moulson were always aware of their Clogheen connections, and both men declared Clogheen to be their birthplace when signing contracts. The brothers occasionally visited Fethard where they had cousins on their mother’s side.

Con and George’s father, Charles re-enlisted in World War I and sadly died shortly afterwards. His name is listed among the fallen on the First World War monument in front of the main car park by Cahir Castle. His ancestors in Cahir will visit the monument and place a wreath there in his memory during the festival. They will also do a tour of The Vee and Baylough, enjoy other local attractions and have a social evening in Clogheen.

You can find a more expansive account of the Moulsons and their connection to Clogheen on Ed O’Riordan’s Galteemore page.